Fargo School Board Refuses To Remove Grisham Novel From Curriculum
FARGO - The Fargo School Board has refused to ban a John Grisham novel from a Fargo North High School English class.
Two women sought to ban the book "A Time to Kill," saying it was brutal and violent. Board members said the book meets community standards, and that parents are given a chance to decide whether they want their children to read it.
The decision was "predictable," said Pamela Sund Herschlip, one of the parents who wanted the book removed from the curriculum. "The hubris of this board is unbelievable."
The request of Herschlip and Ruth Walsh was previously denied at the building and district levels.
Grisham's novel, set in Mississippi, tells the story of a lawyer who defends a black man after he shoots two white men who raped his young daughter.
School Board President Jim Johnson said he had seven e-mails from people asking that the book be removed, including four from outside the school district.
Johnson said the Grisham novel is controversial. "But I can find graphic scenes of rape in the Bible," he said.
Well, I don't know about that "graphic scenes of rape in the bible" bit. I certainly don't remember any such thing when I read it, but that was a long time ago. There are some disturbing things in the bible, but I don't remember any of them described in the way certain acts of violence are descrbed in A Time To Kill.
But whatever. A Time To Kill really doesn't contain anything in it that kids aren't seeing on the evening news. My problem with the situation is this: What is a John Grisham novel doing on the reading list of an English class? An advanced English class to boot, if earlier reports are correct.
Don't get me wrong, Grisham's novels are very entertaining, but they are hardly the sort of reading I expect my kid to do in an advance placement class. Surely there are works, even among contemporary authors, that are more qualified.
